1. Field
The present specification generally relates to methods for separating strengthened glass substrate sheets and, more particularly, to strengthened glass substrate sheets and methods of fabricating glass panels from strengthened glass substrate sheets by forming at least one series of holes in a glass substrate sheet prior to a strengthening process.
2. Technical Background
Thin glass panels have a variety of applications in consumer electronic devices. For example, such glass panels may be used as cover sheets and/or touch screens for LCD and LED displays incorporated in mobile telephones, GPS devices, display devices such as televisions and computer monitors, and various other electronic devices. As the use of glass panels continues to expand, the geometric complexity of the glass panels also increases. For example, certain applications may require that the glass panels be formed with complex shapes, such as curved peripheries and/or through-features, thus requiring additional machining operations to achieve the desired geometry.
The glass panels may be formed by separating a glass substrate sheet into a plurality of discrete glass panels. The glass substrate sheet may be formed from damage resistant glass, such as ion-exchanged glass or similarly strengthened glass. For example, the ion-exchange process creates a compressive stress at the surfaces of the glass substrate. These compressive stresses extend beneath the surface of the glass substrate to a certain depth, referred to as the depth of layer. The compressive stresses are balanced by a layer that is under tensile stresses (referred to as central tension) such that the net stress in the glass substrate is zero. The formation of compressive stresses at the surface of the glass substrate makes the glass strong and resistant to mechanical damage and, as such, mitigates catastrophic failure of the glass substrate for flaws which do not extend through the depth of layer.
When glass panels are ion exchanged after separation, both the surface and edges are strengthened and damage resistant. However, there is the case where it is desirable to separate the glass sheet into individual panels after the ion exchange process. In this case, the newly formed edges have not been ion exchanged and are susceptible to damage from mechanical contact. More specifically, separating the glass substrate after ion-exchange processing leaves the central tension layer exposed at the edges of the glass panel, thereby leaving the edge susceptible to damage which may lead to failure.